A Dream of Romance
by escalus01
Summary: Rose has been having rather intense dreams lately, and after some advice from Lailah, decides to act on them for better or worse.
1. Sweet Dreams

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Tales of Zestiria,_ Namco - Bandai does.**

 **Chapter 1 – Sweet Dreams**

 _Rose could not help but stare at the sight of Hyland's Knight – Princess as she worked on her form, her skin slick with sweat, and her modest bosom rising and falling heavily. She felt goose bumps break out across her skin as she watched agile and flexible form perfectly execute moves ingrained through long practice. The Princess' training clothes stuck to her wet skin, and even from where she stood she could see the muscles working underneath; the sight alone sent a tingle down her spine._

 _There was no one else around, they were all alone, it was almost like the world had ceased to exist except for the two of them._

 _Suddenly the Princess stopped, frozen with her legs splayed and her arm extended, before she slowly dropped her form and turned in Rose' direction._

 _Rose briefly panicked, wondering how the Princess would react to being watched by her. That panic turned to relief as the princess smiled brightly and waved at her. She waved back, feeling an unfamiliar lightness rising in her chest, yet at the same time it set her heart racing. Then the Princess beckoned for her to come closer, and Rose eagerly began to make her way forward. As she drew near she could hear the sound of the Princess breathing, laboured after long exercise, and it sent another pleasant jolt along her spine._

 _Once she was close enough the Princess pulled her into a tight embrace, and Rose felt herself burn at the contact. The feel of the Princess' breath against her ear was almost enough to make her melt._

" _Rose, I am so glad to see you," the Princess said._

 _The genuine excitement in her voice set butterflies loose in the pit of Rose's stomach._

" _Y – yeah," was about all the response she could manage._

" _Rose, is something wrong?" the Princess asked. Her eyes were a vibrant green, and conveyed such genuine warmth and concern._

" _No, nothing," Rose replied. It was the truth, for even if she felt all of her strength leaving her, there was nowhere she would rather be than right here._

 _Suddenly those green eyes darkened, and flickered with mischief. The Princess leaned in close again and whispered in her ear._

" _Good."_

 _That little word was enough to to strip the last of Rose's strength from her, and her knees buckled from underneath her. The Princess held her tight and guided her softly to the ground, lying her gently atop the dewy grass._

 _Now Rose found herself lying on her back, with the Princess above her, straddling her waist. From this angle the sun struck the Princess' hair in such a way that it shimmered. Rose swallowed thickly as the Princess leaned in to whisper in her ear again._

" _Rose, I want you," she said. "Do you want me too?"_

 _Rose could not summon the will to speak, so she simply nodded her assent._

 _She barely had timed to notice the princess' grin, before those lips were pushing hungrily against her own. It was only a moment before she was kissing back, her arms coming up to wrap around the back of the Princess' neck, so that she could pull her in closer._

 _As the tension built up inside her she could not hold back a cry, as the Princess' name tore past her lips:_

"Alisha!"

Her voice was barely above a whisper as the name passed by her lips, but to Rose it was more than loud enough. Even as she lay there looking up at the wooden ceiling above her, she could feel the sweat trickling over every inch of her skin making the blankets cling to her, and their was an intolerable heat between her legs. Her own breathing was heavy, and seemed to echo in the emptiness around her.

She tossed aside the the bed-covers, and felt the cool night air brush against her skin. She shivered, but it felt good, soothing. She lay there for some time staring at the ceiling, waiting in vain for the heat to fade away, but it never did. Then she groaned as she forced herself to sit up.

This was the third time this week she had had that dream, it was becoming ridiculous. Not to mention it left her with an immense feeling of tension that refused to leave until she'd dealt with it.

Slowly she pulled the blankets back over herself, and after a quick glance to make sure her room-mates were still asleep, she lowered her hand between her legs. She bit down on the pillow to muffle any noise she might make.

Afterwards she lay in bed, relief coursing through her body and the terrible heat between her legs satisfied. She could think clearly again, but naturally the only thing she could think about was her dream; of Alisha's smooth skin, her brilliant eyes, her taste...

She needed some air.

Carefully, so that she didn't wake the others, she slipped out from beneath the covers and rose to her feet. After groping about for her clothes in the dark she slipped them on and headed towards the door. At this time of night the front of the inn was empty, and she was able to slip outside through the front door unseen.

She had no idea where she was going as she wandered the streets, she just knew that she needed to get some exercise, dispel some restless energy and breath the crisp night air. She put some effort in to keeping her mind away from drifting back towards thoughts of the princess, but it was no use.

It took almost half an hour of wandering in circles before she felt calm enough to stop and rest. She found herself a low, stone wall and sat atop it, then simply stared up at the sky. There were no clouds tonight, she could see the stars.

She wondered briefly if Alisha was watching the stars too, then she sighed. Ugh, that thought had been unbelievably sappy, what was wrong with her? It was like she had become some kind of mix between a pervy, old man, and a hopeless romantic.

She wasn't sure how long she was sat there for before a voice interrupted her:

"Comfy?"

She jumped, and almost fell from the wall in surprise.

"Lailah!?" she exclaimed.

"Hey!" Lailah said, approaching Rose with a smile on her face.

"What are you doing here?" Rose asked.

"Well," Lailah replied, drawing the word out. "I was wondering why you decided to go for a walk in the middle of the night?"

"It's nothing," Rose responded, looking away. "I just needed some air."

"Bad dreams?" Lailah asked.

Rose almost choked on the air.

"N – no," she answered. "What makes you say that."

"Oh, well. I heard you moaning in your sleep, so I just assumed..."

Rose had bite back a groan, moaning in her sleep? Giving the context of her dream that could only mean... Oh god, this was so embarrassing.

"You said Alisha's name too," Lailah continued.

"D – did I?"

"Yep! I just wonder if you were worried about her or something?"

Rose almost chuckled.

"Not quite."

Lailah just stared at her.

"Something's bothering you," she said. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Lailah," Rose pleaded. "Can we just drop it?"

"Come on, it'll make you feel better."

"I doubt that," Rose mumbled, then she winced.

"Hah," Lailah crowed. "Now I know something's wrong. Come on, tell me what the problem is."

"Alright fine," Rose said, sighing. "I had a dream."

"Well I know that, silly," Lailah responded. "What was it about?"

Rose could feel the blush filling her cheeks even as she spoke.

"It was about Alisha."

Lailah narrowed her eyes.

"If you don't start taking me seriously I may need to resort to drastic measures."

"Oh? Like what?"

"Well, everybody breaks eventually," Lailah answered. "I hear tickling is particularly effective," she added, wiggling her fingers threateningly.

"Wait no, stay back!" Rose said. "I'll talk."

"Good, now what was this dream about?"

"It was about Alisha. And," she added hastily, as Lailah raised her hands again. "It was … it was naughty."

"Naughty?" Lailah echoed, and a second later her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. "Oh my, I didn't realise you were so inclined."

Rose sighed heavily.

"Yeah well, neither did I," she replied.

"So what are you going to do about it?"

"Nothing," she said.

"Nothing?" Lailah echoed.

"Yeah nothing," she reiterated.

"Why?"

"Well what can I do about it?" Rose asked. "She's a princess and I'm..."

"A commoner?"

"I was gonna say assassin," Rose replied. "But that works too. Besides we're both women and some people have a problem with that, and even if they didn't, Alisha probably has to have an heir or something at some point, right?"

To Rose's surprise Lailah was smiling.

"Ooooh," she said. "An exciting tale of a forbidden romance, true love conquers all."

"Life's not a story, Lailah."

"I know that!"

Silence descended on the two of them, and Rose fixed her gaze on the floor. Lailah's talk of "forbidden romance" and "true love" had left her feeling strangely irritated for some reason. Although, she wasn't surprised that Lailah had taken it so well. Perhaps it was because of the constant soothing, almost motherly aura the Seraph had about her?

"I still think you should talk to her," Lailah said, after a few seconds.

Rose's head shot up, so that she could stare the Seraphim in the eyes.

"I told you I can't!" she hissed.

"Why not?"

"I already said!"

"Even so," Lailah replied. "I still think it will do you some good. Even if Alisha turns down your advances, it will at least give you some closure on the subject. Allow you to bury things easier."

"Maybe," Rose responded. "But what if Alisha's one of those people who doesn't like the idea of two women being together? What if she thinks I'm a freak or something?"

"Rose," Lailah said, gently placing a hand on her back. "This is Alisha we're talking about, can you honestly see her hating someone for being in love?"

"I guess not," she mumbled.

"You see. Now come starting tomorrow we'll start making our way back to Ladylake and put this whole issue to bed."

Rose raised an eyebrow, she wondered whether Lailah's choice of words were deliberate or not. You could never quite tell with her.

"Rose," Lailah said. "I'm heading back to the inn, are you coming?"

"In a minute," she responded. "I just want to take in a little more fresh air first."

"Alright," Lailah responded, as she began to move away.

Maybe Lailah was right, she thought as the sound of the Seraph's footsteps grew fainter. Then again, what if she wasn't? She shook her head, it didn't matter. She'd go back to Ladylake and if she thought telling Alisha how she felt then she wouldn't tell her, instead she could just spend some time with her friend.

Not long after Lailah had departed however, something occurred to Rose and she froze completely still, perched like a statue atop the stone wall. If Lailah had been awake to overhear her talking in her sleep, then she must also have been awake for what she had done afterwards...

Rose felt the heat blossom in her cheeks as she dropped her head into her hands.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Well, it's been two years since I last wrote any fanfiction, so this is just a relatively simple piece I wrote to get me back into things. I must apologise for being shipping trash.

So, I am writing the characters in a situation they never really dealt with in canon, so if anybody sees any issues with characterisation or anything, please do not hesitate to mention it.

Also, rated T for the moment. Let me know if you think it needs to be bumped up.


	2. Welcoming Guests

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Tales of Zestiria._**

 **Chapter 2 – Welcoming Guests**

Alisha leaned back and reached her arms into the air, feeling her spine pop as she stretched. Spending hours hunched over a desk staring at pieces of parchment was not good for her back; nor was it good for her eyes, as their constant throbbing would have her know . A quick look out of the window and she saw that the sky out side had turned a deep orange, she had not noticed that it had gotten so late. It was no wonder that it had become more difficult to see.

She leaned back in her seat and stretched again, sighing loudly as she worked the cramps out of her muscles. Peace was by far preferable to war, but it meant at lost less travelling and a lot more sitting for hours on end. She should start wrapping things up, supper would likely be ready soon, and then she should probably get to bed soon after. She had a meeting with some of the ministers tomorrow, she would not want to seem overly tired.

At that moment there came a light tapping from her chamber door.

"Enter," she called.

The door swung gently open, and revealed one of her maids on the other side.

"Gladys, is it time for supper already?" she asked.

"Ah, not quite, my Lady," Gladys answered. "You have visitors."

Alisha almost raised an eyebrow, visitors at this hour?

"Should I ask them to return tomorrow?"

"No, no," Alisha replied. "I'll see them now." After all, if they had made the effort come here at such a time it could be important. She tried to come up with some idea of who it could be and what could be wrong, but she had absolutely no idea. Once she reached the foyer and saw who was standing there however, her step faltered for just a second and she felt the smile spreading on her face. Her visitor's head was turned to the side and she was muttering under her breath, but Alisha would recognise her anywhere.

Even if she had not, the other two standing beside her would have given it away. The sullen, little blonde sitting in one of the other chairs, and the taller, white-haired girl waving in her direction.

"Rose?"

The girl in question turned her head and gave her a brilliant smile, and Alisha felt her own grow wider.

"Hey!"

"What are you doing here?" she asked. "Is something the matter?"

Rose being here could mean any number of things, the malevolence would fade but never truly disappear, after all.

"What?" Rose replied. "Is there something wrong with coming to visit a friend?"

"No – I mean, of course not," she replied. "It's just, given the hour..."

Despite herself Alisha felt her spirits rise a little at the notion that Rose had simply wanted to pay her a visit.

Rose chuckled and raised a raised a hand to scratch at the back of her head.

"Well, I figured you'd be busy during the day, so I thought I'd wait 'till after business hours." Immediately after speaking her eyes flickered to the side, and Alisha saw Lailah staring at the Shepard in a way that she could not quiet decipher.

Edna just huffed and rolled her eyes.

"Well, you were not wrong," she replied with a chuckle. "Why don't you come on through, Gladys can you prepare us some tea?" she asked, turning towards the maid. "Oh, have you eaten?" she asked, her head quickly turning back towards Rose.

"Well, I just thought I'd get something later," Rose responded.

"Nonsense," Alisha said. "Gladys, would you be able to arrange some extra food for our guest? And two extra cups with the tea, please."

"It would be my pleasure, my Lady," Gladys replied. If she found anything odd about her employers last order she did not show, as she simply drop into a curtsey before leaving the room.

Once she heard the door to the kitchen click shut, and she was sure that Gladys was safely out of earshot, Alisha said:

"Lailah, Edna, it is good to see the both of you too."

"Well, I'm glad you decided to finally acknowledge us," Edna replied.

"Oh Edna, don't be like that," Lailah said, before returning her attention to Alisha. "It's good to see you too, Alisha."

"Come on," Alisha said, leading the three in the direction of the drawing room.

She watched her three guests as they walked through the hallway; Edna seemed indifferent to her surroundings, but Rose and Lailah looked at everything with an obvious curiosity.

"You know," Rose began, once they were all seated. "I've never seen the inside of your house before, it looks nice."

"Oh..." Alisha replied. "Thank you. I can not take all the credit though, I am not the one who spends every day making it look presentable."

"Still, it's a nice place," Rose responded.

Silence once again reigned over the four of them, and they were all seated at the table in the drawing room before Rose spoke again.

"So, how you been holding up?" she said. "Other nobles still giving you trouble."

"Some," she answered. "Although these days they are mostly content to bury me under a pile of petitions and angry letters."

"Oh wow, that sounds like a pain."

"It can be tedious," Alisha admitted. "But it is preferable to how things were in the past."

Rose chuckled.

"I'll bet."

Once again, silence descended over the two of them for a moment, as Alisha reached for a new topic.

"So, how long are you planning to stay in Ladylake for?" she asked.

"Oh, you know, a few days maybe," Rose answered, once more reaching up to scratch at the back of her neck. "Not much need for a Shepard without a Lord of Calamity running around messing things up."

"Why don't you tell her why we came back to Ladylake?" Edna interjected, a sly smile on her lips.

"Wha – I don't know what you're talking about?" Rose responded, her cheeks suddenly turning red.

"I do!" Lailah exclaimed, clapping her hands. "Rose really wanted to see you!" she explained to Alisha.

"Wait Lailah," Rose cried. "Don't just tell her something like that. I mean – it's not true. We just happened to be nearby and thought we'd come see how you were doing."

"She's lying," Edna said, a smirk on her face. "She was talking about you the whole way here, it was annoying."

"Oh come on you two!"

Alisha could not help giggling. She reached across the table and gently laid her hand upon Rose'.

"It's fine," she said. "I'm glad you wanted to come see me, truly."

"Uh, yeah sure..." Rose mumbled, her gaze fixed on their joined hands.

Once again silence fell between them, and this time Alisha could not think of anything to say to break it. Instead she just watched as Rose' eyes darted all about the room, never looking directly at her, and how her cheeks were steadily growing more red with every passing second. The sight caused a sensation of awkwardness to fall over the princess, and she wondered if she had said something wrong. Before she could put her thoughts into words however there came a dry click, and the door to the room swung open as Gladys returned with their tea.

Rose jerked her hand away suddenly, and Alisha slowly withdrew her own.

"Here is your tea, my Lady," Gladys said, as she lay the tray down on the table.

"Thank you, Gladys," she replied.

"Yeah, um thanks," Rose said, with an awkward smile.

Gladys curtsied slightly in response before leaving the room. As soon as she was gone Alisha poured tea into the other two cups for Edna and Lailah.

For a minute or two after the maid the conversation around the table was mostly maintained by Lailah, although Alisha was not really hearing what she was saying. Instead she was simply making assenting noises when as gaps in Lailah's speech, whilst focusing on watching Rose out of the corner of her eye. The former assassin was not drinking her tea, instead simply staring at it and Alisha became even more sure that she had said something wrong.

"Well, this is awkward," Edna mumbled.

"So Alisha," Lailah said. "Anything interesting happen in Ladylake whilst we were gone."

The Princess blinked as her attention was drawn back to the conversation.

"Not particularly," Alisha responded. "Everything has been relatively quite."

"Well, I'm glad to hear it," Lailah responded, with a smile. "Aren't you Rose?"

Rose's head jerked towards Lailah, and her eyes remained blank for a second before refocusing on the Seraph.

"Huh? Oh yeah, absolutely!"

"Rose, is something wrong?" Alisha asked.

"What? No. Why would something be wrong?"

As she spoke she raised her cup to her lips, and took her first sip.

"I don't know, you just seem a little … out of sorts," Alisha answered.

"Well … I guess I'm a little tired maybe."

Alisha kept herself from frowning at the obvious evasion.

"Oh, in that case, perhaps we should go to bed straight after supper?" Alisha asked. She noticed that the red tinge returned to Rose's cheeks as she spoke.

"You did say you were staying for a few days, right?" she continued. "We can always talk more in the morning.

"Yeah sure, but are you sure it's okay," Rose asked. "I mean we could always find an inn."

"Oh no, it's quite alright," Alisha replied. "You can stay here for as long as you want."

"That sounds delightful," Lailah interjected. "Doesn't it Edna?"

"I'm just giddy," Edna replied, although there was a small smile on her face.

Rose just sighed and shook her head.

"Well, I guess that's decided then," she said, offering a small smile. "Thanks."

"No problem at all," Alisha responded, smiling back. "You are always welcome here."

"R – right."

Almost two hours long after supper had been eaten, and the others had retired to the rooms that had been prepared for them, that Alisha once again found herself seated at her desk. Her eyes stared vacantly at the wall in front of her, as her thoughts were cast inward; she was still worried about the way Rose had acted earlier. The way she had avoided eye-contact with her, or the way she had jerked her hand back so suddenly.

Her friend claimed that she was simply tired but she had seemed to be perfectly fine before that. No, it had to be something she, Alisha, had said or done; the problem was that she could not figure out for the life of her what it could have been.

The thought that she might have offended one of the few real friends she had was causing her stomach to tie itself into knots.

She sighed heavily, it was not like she could do anything about it at this hour anyway.

Then again, she was loathe to leave anything like this to linger, even if it was just overnight; Rose might very well decide to dig her heels in and pretend nothing was wrong come morning. Besides which they had only just retired to their rooms, Rose would not likely be in bed yet, and it would only take her a couple of minutes at most.

Yes, she thought, nodding her head firmly. It would be best to deal with something like this promptly.

Before she could begin to question herself Alisha promptly shot to her feet, and marched over to her chamber door. The walk down the hall to the guest quarters and before she knew it, she found herself standing outside the door to the room that Rose was using.

Suddenly she heard voices from within the room, it sounded like Rose was talking with Lailah. The door muffled their words and she could not quite make out what was being said, and she strained her ears trying to understand.

Suddenly she pulled back and shook her head, she was being rude! Lailah and Rose were guests under her roof, she should not be spying on their private conversations.

Before she could be tempted again, Alisha raised her hand and rapped it firmly against the door.


	3. Confession

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Zestiria**

 **Chapter 3 - Confession**

The Room Alisha had provided them with was spacious and cool, not that it kept Rose from breaking out into a sweat as she sat on the end of the bed. She was starting to think that coming here had been a really bad idea, there was no way this was going to end well. Her and Alisha were from two different worlds, the fact that they were even friends was incredible enough.

Oh well, she was here now, might as well make the most of it whilst she could. All she had to do was keep her mouth shut for the next few days, then make an excuse for why she had to leave, and that would be the end of it. After that all she'd have to do would be to avoid Ladylake until this lust for Alisha was out of her system.

Yep, that sounded like a great plan. Now that that was settled she could get ready for bed.

That was when there came a knock at the door. She strode over to it and undid the latch, whilst silently praying that it would not Alisha on the other side. Thankfully it was just Lailah.

"Hey," she said. "What's up."

"Oh nothing much," Lailah responded. "May I come in."

"Well yeah," she replied, standing aside. "This is your room too while we're here."

"Thank you," Lailah said as she entered the room.

Rose carefully closed the door again.

"Hey Rose?" Lailah asked.

"Yeah," she responded.

"You aren't going to chicken-out, are you?"

Rose froze, her arm halfway towards reaching for her nightclothes.

She kept her eyes firmly on her nightclothes, but she could feel Lailah frowning at her.

"Lailah," she said. "I honestly don't think this is such a good idea. I mean this could drastically change things between us."

"Rose," Lailah replied, softly. "Things have already changed between the two of you. You noticed how awkward things were earlier."

"No thanks to you guys telling Alisha all that stuff."

"Even before that, you almost turned bright red went she held your hand," Lailah retorted.

"That's because I've got all the dream stuff still fresh in my mind," Rose replied. "If go away for a bit and get it under control everything'll go back to normal."

"I'm not sure it works like that."

"And how would you know?" Rose responded, her tone more vicious than she'd intended.

A heavy silence descended on the room, as Lailah simply stood there staring at her. As the seconds ticked by Rose felt the regret swelling in her chest.

"I'm sorry Lailah," she said. "I didn't mean that, I know you're just trying to help - "

"No," Lailah interjected. "You're right, I don't really have much in the way or romantic experience."

"Still more than me, I bet," Rose mumbled. "Look I just don't think this going to turn out the way you think it will," she added, louder.

"Perhaps you're right," Lailah admitted. "But although I don't have much experience with these things, I know that things left unsaid, or chances not taken can be some of the biggest regrets you'll ever have."

"Yeah," Rose replied. "But this would be a pretty big risk I'm taking. And it's something I can just stab if it goes wrong."

Lailah sighed.

"You're right I'm sorry. I guess you're the only one who can decide whether it's worth taking the risk."

Rose allowed herself to fall backwards onto the bed, and stared up at the ceiling as she contemplated whether she wanted to explain herself further. She knew the seraph was just trying to help, but she didn't think that this was really something that she could help with.

"Look Lailah I - "

She was cut-off by a heavy knocking coming from the chamber door. With a sigh she began to haul herself back to her feet, but was stopped by Lailah.

"It's alright, I'll get it," she said. "It's probably Edna."

Rose just nodded.

"Who is it?" Lailah called, as she approached the door.

"It's Alisha."

Immediately Rose sprang to her feet, hurriedly trying to tell Lailah not to open the door. However she was too late. The sight of the Princess as she crossed the threshold into the room was enough to cause her stomach to clench, and her heart to start pounding in her chest.

"Alisha, is there something you needed?" Lailah asked.

"I just wanted to talk to Rose for a moment," she replied.

"Of course," Lailah said. "In that case I'll just excuse myself for a moment."

"Oh no, that's alright," Alisha responded. "You don't have to leave."

"Oh, it's fine," Lailah said. "I'll just go and find out where Edna's gotten to."

She turned and shot a quick glance at Rose. The two of them lock gazes for a moment as Rose tried to tell her not to leave. Unfortunately the message didn't seem to get through, as Lailah turned away and left, closing the door softly behind her.

Now she was lest alone in a room, with Alisha.

"Hey," she said, after a moment. "Um, so what did you want to talk about?"

"Oh. Um it's about before," Alisha answered.

"What about it?"

"I..." Alisha hesitated, then nodded her head firmly. "I just wondered if you were ready to talk about what was bothering you earlier?"

Rose felt her stomach sink.

"I told you," she replied.

Alisha shook her head.

"No," she said. "You were fine until we were sitting in the drawing room, then you got all quite. Rose, did I say something to offend you?"

"What? No, you didn't do anything wrong," she answered.

"Then is something bothering you?" Alisha asked, taking a step forward.

Rose instinctively took a step backward.

"See," Alisha said. "You won't even let me get close. Rose what's wrong?"

"I - " Rose began, and then cut herself off. "Look, I've just got a few issues to sort through okay?"

"Please Rose," Alisha pleaded. "Talk to me."

The Princess stepped closer again and Rose forced herself to remain where she was. Alisha was getting to close, she could practically feel how close she was, she even thought she could smell perfume; although perhaps that was just in her head, she didn't even know if she wore perfume. Then again she was a princess, of course she wore perfume.

Then she made the mistake of looking her in the eyes, and for a brief second she was lost.

"Rose, are you alright?"

Rose sat herself down on the edge of the bed, and sighed in defeat. Damn it, it looked like the world was conspiring against her on this one.

"Alright, fine," she replied. "You might want to sit down for this though."

Alisha lowered herself onto the bed next to her; Rose tried not to think about the fact that she was only with Alisha, in a bedroom, on a bed, and she was about to confess her … feelings. Ugh, she felt like she was fourteen again or something. This was stupid, all the times she had stared death in the face, and she was scared witless about talking to a girl she liked.

"Is it important?" Alisha asked.

"No," Rose answered. "Well yes. But not in a fate of the world kind of way. More in a personal kind of way."

"Okay, I'm listening."

The way Alisha looked at her then, so intently, so earnestly, it was more than a little distracting. Rose took a deep breath and reigned her thoughts in, as she considered where to start. She could feel her face growing warmer by the second.

"Okay, um," she began. "Lately I've been having these dreams."

"Dreams?"

"Yeah,"

"What are they about?"

"Well..." she said. "Lailah thinks that... she thinks I might be in love or something." She laughed, trying to force some levity, it sounded creepy even to her own ears, and warmth in her cheeks spiked.

"Love..." Alisha whispered. "Sorry, but I don't think I'm the best person to ask for romantic advice." Despite her words there was a bright smile on her face.

"Maybe," Rose replied. "But you you're kinda the person I need to talk to about this."

"Really? Well in that case I would be glad to help however I can."

"Thanks," Rose mumbled.

"So, who is it?" Alisha asked. "Is it anyone I know?"

"Well, I guess you could say that," Rose answered. "It's um...

"Yes."

For just a moment Rose considered dropping the subject, but she'd said too much to do that now.

"It's you," she whispered.

"Excuse me?" Alisha replied.

"I said it's you," Rose answered. "You're the person I've been dreaming about."

Everything was silent, and the only thing Rose could hear the beating of her own heart. She saw Alisha's bright, green eyes go wide.

For a moment that seemed to stretch on forever, the two of them just sat there just staring at each other.

Suddenly Alisha leapt to her to her feet.

"I - I'm sorry," she said. "I need a moment."

In seconds Alisha was out of the door and gone.

Rose sighed and ran a hand through her hair. Damn it! She knew this was a bad idea, she should never have listened to Lailah.

* * *

Alisha's mind was in a whirl as she walked the hallways of her home, heedless of where her feet were taking her. That had been … she was not sure exactly what that been. Unexpected? Shocking?

This was the first time anyone had seriously confessed their love to her; she had never expected that it would come from a women, and certainly not Rose. How should she feel about something like that?

She was brought out of her reverie by a strange, melodic noise. It sounded like someone was singing. Curious, she followed the noise tracking it back to it's source, and eventually it lead her back to the drawing room. The door was ajar, and when she pushed it the rest of the way open she found Lailah standing alone inside.

"Oh, hello Alisha," she said.

"Hi," Alisha replied. "Were you singing just now?"

"Yes, sorry if I bothered you."

"Oh, no. It's no problem. It sounded quite lovely really."

"Thank you."

As she stood there it occurred to Alisha that Rose had said something about telling Lailah about her dreams. If she had told her then Lailah would know how Rose felt about her.

"Lailah, can we talk for a moment?" she asked.

"Of course, what's on your mind?" Lailah replied.

"I … I just finished speaking to Rose," she explained.

"Oh, and how did that go?"

"She – she said she was in love with me," she answered. She felt the blood rush to her face as she spoke, just talking about it was an experience.

"I see," Lailah said. "And what did you say?"

"I did not say anything I just - "

She froze as a sudden realisation it her. The warmth suddenly drained from her cheeks, and she felt her stomach tighten.

"I just left," she said. "She opened up to me like that, and I just left without a word. I'm terrible."

She turned on the spot and made to leave the room, when Lailah's voice stopped her.

"Where are you going?"

"I need to go back and talk to Rose," she answered.

"I don't think that's such a good idea."

"What? Why not?"

"Well, how do you feel about what she said?"

"I don't... I'm not sure," she answered, doing her best not to fidget under Lailah's gaze.

"I think you'll need to think about what you're going to say the next time you speak to her."

Alisha nodded.

"Just let me speak to her for now," Lailah continued. "You take the time to think things through."

Half an hour later, and Alisha was lying in her bed, staring up at the canopy; but sleep was the farthest thing from her mind.

She could not stop thinking about Rose, about that nervous look on her face She had never seen an expression like that on the other girl's face before, sadness yes, anger definitely, but not such a display of nerves. It ill-suited her.

There was a twisting sensation in her stomach as she thought about the way she had just left her there, with that expression on her face.

The question was, could she return Rose's feelings? She did not know. She had never seriously considered the possibility of being with another woman before, she had not often contemplated romance in general. Although she did want to give Rose's confession proper consideration, to think about it properly.

In the morning she would need to speak to Rose again, to apologise and assure that last night was not a rejection.


	4. The Morning After

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Tales of Zestiria.

 **Chapter 4 – The Morning After**

On an ordinary day Alisha would find the sound of birdsong to be pleasant, relaxing even, but today the incessant twittering only aggravated her already aching head. Last night had been pretty bad, she had barely slept a wink; instead she had spent the night tossing and turning, unable to stop thinking about Rose's confession. Every time she closed her eyes she could see it again, the uncharacteristically bashful look in Rose's blue eyes, the feel of her hand on hers.

Just the memory of it caused Alisha's heart to flutter, but what did that mean? Was it because it was Rose, or was it just because of having someone confess their love to her?

Now here she was sitting at the breakfast table chewing half-heartedly at her food, and barely tasting it. The tightness in her stomach did not make it easy. Once she had eaten as much as she felt she could take she pushed her plate away and rose to her feet, preparing herself to start her day in earnest.

That was when Rose entered the room, and Alisha stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of her. The redhead looked like she had barely slept too, it was subtle, but Alisha could see the faint redness around her eyes.

As she looked Rose, Alisha could not help but notice little details about the other girl that had managed to escape her attention until then, like the small imperfections in her skin that had probably come from years of rough living. Yet despite those imperfections her skin looked quite smooth and soft, her hair was a lively and vibrant shade of red, and her lips pleasantly full, even inviting...

"Hey," Rose said.

"Hey," Alisha echoed, suddenly snapping from her reverie. Oh goodness how long had she been looking? And just what had she been thinking about?

A uncomfortable silence descended over the the room, Alisha felt a desire to break it, but she was not sure what she would say, what she should say. With every second that passed she could feel the tightness in the pit of her stomach worsen, and a slight tingle ran over the surface of her skin.

"Listen," Rose began after a few moments. "Um, look I've decided I'm gonna go find and inn after all. I mean, thanks for the hospitality and everything - "

Wait, what?!

"You're leaving?" Alisha interrupted. "Why?" She knew as soon as she asked that it was a stupid question, there could only be one reason why.

"Well, you know," Rose responded, fidgeting. "I just didn't wanna keep staying here if it was gonna make you uncomfortable."

"You don't make me uncomfortable," Alisha replied, shaking her head.

"Liar," Rose said, although she was smiling and her tone was soft.

"Rose please," Alisha said, grabbing Rose by the hand. "I don't want you to leave."

"Alisha, come on..." Rose muttered, staring at their conjoined hands.

Alisha stared at her for a second, saw the way her eyes shifted, and the faint hint of redness in her cheeks. Suddenly it occurred to her that the reason Rose was leaving was because she was the one who felt uncomfortable, and Alisha supposed she could not blame her. Not after the way she had simply left her there after she had opened up to her.

Yet, she could not simply allow her to leave and stay at an inn. Not only would she feel bad about that, but she still remembered the time she had went to see Rose at the inn in Lastonbell, only to find she had left without a word.

Now she too was very aware of their hands touching, of the feeling of Rose's skin on hers; almost subconsciously she rubbed her thumb over the callouses that came from years of hard living. She Rose suck in a sharp breath, and it took more than a little self-discipline for her to not tear her hand away.

"Rose listen," she began, then she took a deep breath to calm herself before continuing. She just needed to be forthright, direct, get straight to the heart of the issue and make her point. Preferably before she lost her nerve.

"I won't lie, when you confessed your love to me yesterday it surprised me."

She was saw the faint touch of red on Rose's cheeks deepen.

"Yeah," she replied. "I'll bet."

"No one has ever..." Alisha continued. "That was the first time anyone has ever said something like that to me, and it was from another woman at that."

"Really?" Rose asked. "Like no-one?"

"Never," Alisha confirmed.

"Wow, that's kinda strange," Rose said. "I mean, you are kinda really pretty."

Rose's eyes widened as thought she had just realised what she had said, and Alisha felt the heat growing in her own cheeks; she coughed into her hand.

"What I mean is, um..." Rose continued, clearing her throat. Then she fell silent.

"Be that as it may," Alisha said, rushing to fill the silence. "The point is that I did not know how to feel about that, and I still don't. I want to give you a proper answer Rose, but I need time.

"Oh?" Rose responded. "How much time?"

Alisha chose to ignore the sarcastic edge in Rose's voice, she did not one such an important conversation to devolve into a fight. Besides which that was a fair question, she could not expect Rose to wait around forever, especially not when she was the Shepard.

"A day," Alisha replied after a couple of seconds. "Give me one more day and I'll give you a proper answer."

For a moment there was silence, and Alisha could hear nothing but the beating of her own heart. Still, she made the effort to look Rose in the eyes and ignore the growing anxiety in her chest.

"Alright, one day," Rose answered. "But after that I really am outta here."

"Agreed."

Alisha could not help smiling, and the sight of Rose's cheeks going red as she turned her head to the side only made her smile wider.

"So, can I get breakfast now?" Rose asked.

"Oh right, of course," Alisha replied, tearing her gaze away from Rose's face.

With that said she stepped aside so that Rose could proceed towards the dining room, and breakfast. She watched the other girl walk away for a moment, noting the shape of her shoulders beneath her blouse, and the swish of her hair as she moved. Her eyes were drawn downwards almost against her will, as their attention was caught by the slight sway of her rear.

She felt the heat explode in her cheeks as she tore her gaze away and planted it firmly on the wall. What had she been doing? She had been staring at Rose like some sort of pervert. Even if Rose had declared her affections, it did not give her the right to ogle her like that.

Quickly, before she could give-in to temptation again, Alisha marched towards the door and out into the fresh morning air.

Rose felt extremely agitated, like there was an itch just under her skin. She tore a bite out of her toast and chewed on it automatically, without even tasting it.

That wasn't how it had been meant to go, she'd just meant to make her excuses and get out of here as quickly as possible; not just out of the manor, but Ladylake itself. To run as far as possible and stay there.

Then Alisha had turned those brilliant green eyes on her, and told her that she might actually have a chance. For just a moment she could picture it clearly, the two of them together sharing food, or cuddling. It would be nice if she could get Alisha to smile more often.

Suddenly her daydreams were interrupted by something poking her in the side. She let out a sharp yelp, and almost fell out of her seat. After steadying herself she cast a quick glance around the room to see if anyone had seen her, fortunately, none of the manor's staff seemed to be present.

"Edna," she growled, rounding on the girl in question. "What was that for?"

"I've been trying to get your attention for the last ten minutes," the Seraph replied. "If you paid attention, I wouldn't have to resort to drastic measures."

Rose narrowed her eyes.

"Did you even really try to get my attention before stabbing me?" she asked.

"Of course I did," Edna replied, a sly grin on her face. "But you were off in your own little world, with the most disgusting look on your face."

"Hey! Rose protested.

"Come now Edna," Lailah interrupted. "Don't be too hard on her."

Rose head snapped around, and she saw the other Seraph sitting on the opposite side of the table daintily holding a cup of tea.

"How long have you been there?" she asked.

"Oh, I arrived when Edna did," she answered.

"Geez, you really were out of it," Edna said.

Rose forced herself to laugh.

"I was just thinking is all," she said.

"Yeah," Edna responded. "About a perfect, pretty princess."

Rose spluttered, fighting the brush that was threatening to spill on to her cheeks.

"I – I was not!"

"Yeah you were," Edna replied. "I could tell by the stupid grin on your face, you're turning into such a sap."

"I am not!"

Edna does not bother to reply, instead she simply takes a seat, a cocky smirk on her face. Rose glared at her trying to think of a comeback, but the seconds tick by and she knows she's missed her chance. She can't help huffing at the cocky grin that spreads across Edna's face.

"So," Lailah says, "What were you smiling about."

"I -" Rose begins. "It was nothing really, I just got to have a talk with Alisha is all."

Lailah immediately perks up, and Rose half expects her to start bouncing in her seat. She hears Edna snort, and immediately feels a desire to whack her over the head.

"Oh my," Lailah replies. "Do tell."

"There's nothing really to tell," she answered.

"Right," Edna drawled. "Last night you were all mopey, this morning your smiling, and you expect us to believe that nothing happened."

"She's right you know," Lailah supplied.

"Alright fine," Rose grumbled. "Alisha said … she said she was thinking about it."

"You mean...?"

"Yeah."

Lailah squealed and Edna put both her fingers in her ears.

"Please never do that again," the smaller Seraph asked.

For once Rose agreed, but she managed to keep her mouth shut as she dug her fingers out of her ears.

"Look Lailah," she said, with a sigh. "Just don't get your hopes up. Alisha said she'd give me an answer, it doesn't mean the answer'll be yes."

"Said the girl who was sitting there grinning to herself," Edna mumbled. "You trying to convince us or yourself?"

Rose ignored her, mostly because she wasn't sure herself.

"I know that," Lailah said, in response to Rose's caution. "But it's progressing smoother than you thought it would last night, is it not?"

Rose groaned.

"Lailah, can we please not talk about that?" she asked.

Last night after her confession she'd ended up crying into Lailah's shoulder, she'd wept like some spoiled, pampered noble girl. Frankly, in the bright light of day the memory made her chest heavy with embarrassment.

"Very well," Lailah answered. "Then let's talk about our plans for today."

Rose shrugged.

"Don't really have any," she replied. "Maybe just wander around the city, see how things are coming along. Maybe do some shopping."

"That sounds lovely," Lailah replied, with a smile.

Yeah it did, Rose thought. However, she could not help the thought that it would be even nicer if they bumped into Alisha somewhere along the way.


	5. Wandering Thoughts

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _Tales of Zestiria._

 **Chapter 5 – Wandering Thoughts**

The sun beat mercilessly down on Alisha as she attempted to listen to what the ministers were saying. Despite her best efforts the voices of the men gathered around the table faded into the background, as her mind drifted elsewhere. She was tempted to blame the heat.

She could keep her thoughts away from that morning, to Rose and their conversation in the dining room doorway. For some reason she could not get Rose's eyes out of her head, the way they had sparkled when they were talking. She remembered taking her hand, and even now she could recall the warmth beneath her skin. She wondered what it felt like elsewhere...

"Lady Alisha?"

Alisha started as a voice brought her back to the present.

"Is something the matter?" Minister Percival asked.

Alisha cleared her throat as she attempted to recollect her composure.

"No nothing is the matter," she said, hoping her cheeks were not as red as they felt. "I am just afraid I am not quite feeling like myself today."

"Perhaps the lady would care to return home for today," one of the other ministers piped-up. "And we can inform her of what has transpired tomorrow?"

Alisha suppressed a sigh; in other words he wanted to be able to push his agenda without her interference.

"No, that quite alright," she responded. "I believe I can continue."

"Perhaps we may instead take a small break?" suggested Minister Dulac. "We have after all, been here for some three hours now."

"I second that motion," said an elderly minister with a wheezy voice, and then chuckled at his own joke.

There was a slight murmuring around the table, as the gathered ministers discussed the idea.

"Very well," said the speaker. "We will have a short recess, we will reconvene in fifteen minutes."

All of the squealing as everybody in the room push their chairs back across the marble floors pierced right through her, as she hurried from thee conference room.

Despite stepping directly in to the heat of the sun, Alisha felt refreshed as she stepped out of the palace. She leaned back against the wall and looked up at the clear blue sky. She could not believe that these thoughts of Rose were distracting her the way that they were.

Yet even as she stood there, she remembered promising Rose that she would have an answer for her by tonight. So the question became, could she see herself with Rose romantically? Could she even love another woman like that? Thoughts of the red-haired girl had plagued her all morning, but did they mean anything, or was it only because of the situation she found herself in?

It was possible that she never would have thought about these things is Rose had not confessed to her first, but did that mean she could never love Rose back?

Question after question kept chasing themselves around in her head, and she was unable to come up with any answers. She needed to clear her mind, perhaps she should head down to the training field after she was done here?

Unfortunately that took much longer than expected, and by the time she was finished negotiating with the minister the streets of Ladylake were empty. The sun was hanging low in the sky by the time she walked into the yard of her home, it was not quite sunset but it would not be far away, and she had yet to reach a conclusion.. By the end the old men and their endless talking had been fraying her temper, never before had she wanted to yell at them for talking too much.

Really, this whole situation with Rose was driving her to distraction.

With a sinking feeling in her stomach she sighed, and stepped forward into the practice. Her hand almost trembled around the shaft of her practice spear as she held it to her waist, parallel to the ground. This was ridiculous, to be so nervous when Rose was not even here!

She thrust her spear forward and then swept it to the side, just like she had been taught; exhaling each time she made a strike. She fell in to the practised motions easily, and each movement eased the tensions within here more and more. Each breath she took seemed to purge more of her ill temper from her body, until her thoughts were almost calm again.

Her mood soothed, she allowed her mind to wander as she continued to move through her steps. Inevitably her thoughts began to move towards Rose, but that was fine now.

Rose was a friendly, determined person, and kind in her own way. She was a loyal person, if a bit too stubborn. Not to mention she could be so irritating when she thought she was right, but she did these things to protect people.

And yes, Alisha would say she was beautiful, she would have said so even before being put in to this situation. Rose was one of the most beautiful women she had ever seen, that had never been in question. Despite years of living on the move, Alisha thought that she put many high-born women to shame.

However, she was dancing around the real topic, how did she feel about her? Why did being around Rose cause her heart to be as though it was attempting to break out of her chest?

In her head she tried to picture it, holding Rose in her arms, kissing her, and with some small surprise she found that the thought was not unpleasant. In fact, once she began thinking about it, she found she could not stop. From there the thoughts moved to far more … sensual topics, and when she tried to reign them in, they became distinctly romantic. She found herself thinking about waking up beside her, of coming home to her, of growing old with her. It did not seem like such a bad future.

…

She supposed that was her answer then.

She paused and lowered her spear, it was almost laughable. All night and day she had been fretting over this, and now she had come to a conclusion in mere minutes.

Now the only thing left was to actually tell Rose, and Alisha could not help but shake her head at how intimidating she found that idea. She was used to putting her body on the line and risking injury or even death, but her heart was another matter.

That was when she felt a shiver run down her spine, as though someone was watching her. She spun around to, eyes scanning her immediate surroundings. When she spotted a familiar head or red hair in the distance she felt a smile breakout on her face, and she raised her hand to wave them over.

* * *

Rose had been wandering around Ladylake for most of the day, trying to keep herself from being distracted. Despite her best efforts however, she could not keep her thoughts from drifting back to her conversation with Alisha that morning. She really didn't want to get her hopes up, like she had said to Lailah, Alisha had only said that she'd give her an answer, not that the answer would be what she wanted.

In order to try and keep herself distracted she had drifted from one end of the city to the other, visiting various shops and looking at things she didn't really want. However, in her mind all those events seemed to blur in to one another, as in truth she'd been unable to concentrate properly on anything. She'd deliberately avoid Alisha's mansion, there would be nothing but thoughts of Alisha there, and instead she'd bought lunch from an open-air vendor near the sanctuary. Yet, she couldn't even remember what the food had tasted like.

If this was what being in love felt like, it kinda sucked.

Now she was leaning against the railings in the middle of town, staring unseeingly at the giant waterwheel. A sigh passed her lips before she could catch it.

"Ugh," she heard Edna say from beside her. "Do you even know what you look like?

"Edna!" she heard Lailah say.

"What?" Edna replied. "She's sitting there looking all weepy."

"Excuse me!" Rose hissed, doing her best to avoid drawing attention. "I am not looking weepy."

Edna rolled her eyes.

"Fine," she replied. "But you know what I mean, you've been mooning over Alisha all day. Such a sap."

Rose had a response all ready, but it died on her lips. Edna was kind of right, despite her best efforts she had been thinking about Alisha for most of the day Damn it, she really was turning into a complete sap.

Unable to come up with an appropriate reply to Edna's teasing, she instead elected to turn on her feel and walk away. She decidedly ignored the snicker she coming from behind her.

The first orange rays of sunset were appearing in the sky by the this point, and she guessed that meant it was time to head back to the mansion. She felt a weight drop into the pit of her gut, time for the moment of truth, she guessed.

On impulse she decided to clamber over the wall, rather that simply enter through the gate. She went up and over quickly, and landed easily on the other side. She smiled lightly to herself, but that smile fell from her face as she raised her head. The sight before her was eerily familiar.

Alisha was there there spear in hand, and Rose couldn't help but stare, goosebumps breaking out along her skin. She couldn't drag her eyes away from the image of Alisha weaving through the movements, moving effortlessly from one step to the next.

The princess' surcoat was lying on the ground, leaving her in her black shirt and shorts. Rose could see the sweat running down the back of her neck, and the muscles flexing beneath her clothes with every move Alisha made. She saw the way her chest rose and fell from the exertion.

The setting sun seemed to bath everything in a warm, yell glow, making the whole thing seem slightly surreal.

Rose had no idea how long she was kneeling there staring; when Alisha suddenly stopped, pausing in the middle of a thrust, her body extended. Rose's mouth went dry as the princess slowly turned towards her. When she smiled brightly at her, Rose felt lighter, as though it had lifted a weight that she didn't even know had been there.

In the back of her mind, she could remember Edna mocking her for being a sap, but right now she couldn't bring herself to care.

Alisha waved at her, motioning for her to come over. Feeling equal parts eagerness and trepidation, Rose pushed herself to her feet, and began to walk.

"Hey," Alisha said, as she drew close. "You're back."

"Well yeah," Rose managed to reply. "I said I would be."

"Right," Alisha said, with a nod.

Then silence descended over the pair, and an awkward air filled the space between. Alisha just kept staring at her, and Rose did her her best not to avert her gaze. She could feel the blush building in her own cheeks, just as she watched it rise in Alisha's.

 _Ugh_ , she thought to herself. _Come on, after everything you've been through you're gonna get all nervous just because a pretty girl is staring at you?_

Rose smiled, and looked for something to say to break the silence.

"So," she said eventually. "You got an answer for me."

She could have slapped herself, especially when Alisha turned her head to look away, her face now burning red.

"I do," she answered.

At her words Rose felt her heart pause, and a small weight slip into her stomach. Was that good or bad? Alisha wasn't looking at her, but was that embarrassment or something else? Did she not want to look at her right now so she wouldn't see her face when she rejected her?

Rose took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.

"So, what is it?" she asked.

The princess bent over to pick-up her surcoat, and Rose couldn't keep herself from once again admiring the way her muscles worked as she moved. She quickly averted her gaze as Alisha righted herself.

"Let's go inside," Alisha said. "We can have some tea and … talk."

Swallowing heavily, Rose nodded and followed Alisha back towards the mansion.


	6. Love

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Zestiria.**

 **Chapter 6 - Love**

Thoughts shot through Alisha head at lightning speeds, as she once again lead Rose through the hallways of her home. For the life of her she could not figure out what she wanted to say. She knew what she wanted to say, but she could not figure just how to put it into words. She did not want to sound too crass, but she also wanted it to sound genuine. Then there were her worries about sounding to saccharine, because she knew Rose disliked words that were too sweet.

They seemed to reach the sitting room too quickly, as though they had stepped into it straight from the front door. Alisha felt the first faint inklings of panic welling in her chest, but she pushed it down; she was well experienced at fighting through her fear.

Gladys was already in the room when they arrived, and Alisha quickly sent her to fetch some tea. Her voice sounded a little stilted to her own ears, but if the maid noticed it at all she gave no sign. Instead she merely curtsied and stepped out of the room.

After taking a deep breath she cleared her throat and turned to her guests.

"Well, Rose please take a seat," she said. "Lady Lailah, Lady Edna, could you please give us some time alone," she added to the two Seraphim.

"Oh, of course, come on Edna," Lailah replied, hand flying to her mouth. Perhaps Alisha's mind was playing tricks on her, but the Lady of the Lake sounded almost giddy.

The seemingly younger Seraph rolled her eyes as she followed Lailah out of the room, but Alisha did not miss the slight grin on her face.

With the two of them gone Alisha took a seat at the table opposite Rose. With the two of them now alone Alisha's heart began to beat faster, as though it was going to explode out of her chest, and she felt a light tickling in her stomach. She did not think that she had ever been this nervous, even with all she had been through.

"So," she began. "How was you day?"

Rose just stared at her for a long moment, and Alisha could have slapped herself. Then Rose chuckled, and Alisha could not help the little giggled that bubbled up and escaped from her own throat.

"It was alright," Rose replied after a moment. "Just wandered round the city, you know. Took in the sights."

"Sounds nice," Alisha replied, with a smile.

Rose merely gave a non-committal hum and shrugged her shoulders.

"And you?" she asked.

Alisha could not help the sigh that escaped her lips.

"Exhausting," she answered.

"What?" Rose responded. "Those old guys talk you ear off?"

"And then some," Alisha replied. "I'm not sure they managed to agree on anything before we finished."

Rose chuckled.

"Well, maybe they just like the sound of each others' voices."

Alisha giggled.

This was nice she thought, just sitting around the table sharing storied about their day; it made her feel somewhat warm inside. Is this how it would be? If she were to accept Rose's love, the two them would surely be able to enjoy more peaceful moments like this. It was not an unpleasant thought.

However, it was not the topic she wanted to talk about, so she took a deep breath, and made to begin again.

Before she could say anything however, the door to the room clicked open and Gladys reappeared, carrying a tray laden with tea.

After the maid lay it down before them Alisha poured a cup each for herself and Rose, and quickly lifted the drink to her lips. The feel of it warming her insides helped steady her nerves, and focus her mind.

For a while neither of them spoke, but this time the quiet felt comfortable to her somehow. She allowed herself to bask in it for a little while before trying to restart the conversation.

"So," she began, eventually.

"So," Rose echoed.

"I … I said I had an answer for you," Alisha said.

"You did," Rose replied.

The tone of her voice only served to make Alisha even more nervous, it was completely level, and betrayed nothing. Not to mention her eyes, they were hard and completely unreadable. It was more than a little intimidating.

Yet it was an expression that held a beauty of its own, she thought.

"The truth is," she began. "I am a little unsure."

She realised how that sounded even before she had finished saying it, and raised her hand to forestall Rose's reply as she opened her mouth.

"Wait, please let me explain, I am not unsure about you," she said. "In fact, let me start over. I have spent all of today thinking about to to best answer you, even when my attention should have been on other things."

She saw the corner of Rose's mouth twitch, and realised that she had touched on the other girl's pride.

"Whilst thinking I realised," she continued. "That I know little of romance really. All I know I've read about in books."

Very briefly she averted her eyes, wondering if confessing such a thing made her sound overly naïve. Rose's words from that day in Lastonbell echoed through her mind, but she forcibly silenced them. The two of them had moved passed that point.

When she raised her gaze again, she found Rose was not laughing at her but staring at her patiently.

"Yet when I thought of you I... I realised that I would not mind waking up to your face every morning,"she said. "The thought of you and I together is..."

She tried in vain to find some way to make her next words sound poetic, but nothing came to mind. It all sounded too obnoxious or ostentatious, and she did want to mar the moment with such things. In the end, she could do nothing but say it directly.

"Well, the answer to the question is yes."

It was strange, the words were monumental but simple, and although the words had such weight for her time did not stand still. Yet there was a lightness in her chest all the same, a tingling across her skin, and she felt the smile spread across her face.

* * *

For Rose time had frozen, and Alisha's words seemed to echo through her head.

She'd said yes. She'd said yes!

All at once time seemed to resume, and she saw Alisha sitting across from her a blush across her cheeks, but a beautiful, happy smile on her lips. She felt her own face grow warm, and her own mouth twist into a grin at the sight. Her heart outright fluttered in her chest, and it felt like lightning was running across the top of her skin.

She tried to find something, anything to say. Instead she burst out into laughter.

"Rose, are you okay?" she heard Alisha ask.

"Sorry, sorry," she replied. "I'm just really happy."

She really was; as much as she'd hoped Alisha would say yes, to actually hear it from her own lips was almost overwhelming. Still, she had to make absolutely sure. She swallowed to sooth a throat that had suddenly gone dry, as she opened her mouth to speak.

"Are you sure though?" she asked.

The smile on Alisha's face faded a little.

"Pardon?" she said.

"I mean, don't you have to have heirs and stuff?" Rose asked.

The smile completely disappeared from Alisha's face, and Rose felt her stomach sink. Had she just managed to mess everything up right at the very last second?

Then Alisha grinned, but it was a wry, unhappy expression.

"Are you trying to dissuade me?" she asked.

"No!" Rose said hurriedly. "I just thought..."

"I do not think that it will be much of a problem," Alisha replied.

The sinking feeling disappeared, but then Rose immediately felt guilt take its place. First for bringing up what was obviously a heavy topic for Alisha, then for taking any sort of comfort from it.

"My standing with the rest of the royal family is not great," Alisha continued. "And I am not nearly the first of my father's children. I am not likely to inherit much."

"Oh," Rose said. It was all she could think to say.

"My mother was a commoner," Alisha continued. "And many of the nobility can not see past that. So father would not be likely to arrange a marriage."

Then Alisha turned to face her, and smiled. Despite the heavy tone the conversation had taken on, that smile seemed to brighten everything around her.

"But if not for that," Alisha said. "I would not have this chance with you. So what was once a curse may in fact be a blessing."

Alisha rose to her feet, and walked around the table until she was standing beside Rose. For a moment she was lost in the bright, green eyes that were staring down at her. Then she was leaning in closer, and there was a sudden warmth on her lips.

The kiss was nothing like the searing one in her dreams; instead it was sweet and chaste. Yet all the same, it sent ripples of excitement through Rose's entire body.

"So yes Rose," Alisha said. "I'm sure."

For the second time in as many minutes Rose's world stood still, as she absorbed what had just happened. Her lips tingled, yet at the same time time they felt cold, and she had an overwhelming desire to warm them again.

Almost without thinking Rose slipped an arm around the back of Alisha's neck and pulled her back in. This time it was a little warmer, as Rose let loose just a bit of the frustration she that had been building inside her over the last few weeks.

For just a moment Alisha simply stood there as Rose kissed her, but then she responded, and began kissing back just as hard.

She ran her tongue along the outside of Alisha's lips seeking a way in, and they parted easily. Then Rose could taste her, and it was almost indescribable, but it was definitely sweet. For some reason, it made her think of the sun.

Rose wasn't sure how long the kiss lasted, but she only broke it out of a pressing needed for air. When she pulled back she discovered that at some point she had stood up, and their bodies were pressed tightly together. Both her arms were now hung over Alisha's shoulders, and the princess's arms were now wrapped securely around her waist. The warmth from the contact permeated through her like a small flame.

Alisha stared at her with wide, green eyes, and her face had gone completely red. Rose felt herself grin.

"Well, if you're sure princess," she said.

Alisha said nothing, and merely nodded mutely, Rose felt her grin grow just a little wider.

"So, does this make you my night in shining armour?" she asked.

A frown twisted Alisha's lips, but Rose barely had time to recognise it. She squealed at the feeling of vertigo caused by her legs being suddenly swept out from under her. The next thing she knew she was being held in Alisha's arms, one hand under her back, the other under her knees.

"W-what are you doing?!" she asked.

This time it was Alisha's turn to grin.

"If I am a knight in shining armour," Alisha replied. "Then that makes you my lady, yes?"

Rose covered her face with her hands, and she hoped Alisha put her down before any of the servants returned; or worse, Lailah and Edna. She could just imagine the diminutive Seraphim's remarks if she caught her in this situation.

Still, the idea of being Alisha's lady wasn't so bad.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Some sugar, some cheese, an odd meal but I hoped you enjoyed it. Last up will be the epilogue.


	7. Time Passes

**Chapter 7 – Time Passes**

When the sun had risen that morning Rose had felt like it was going to be a good day, and thus far she had not been proven wrong. The sun was shining, and there was a cool breeze to keep it from getting too warm. Now it was late-afternoon and everything around her still seemed so vibrant and alive.

As she walked through Ladylake's gates, the sight of the city's streets bustling with people lifted her spirits further. The merchants flogging their wares, children playing, and people just generally going about their business, it all made her feel like she was actually making a difference.

However, the generally pleasant atmosphere, Rose still felt a restless tension lurking underneath her skin. It had been almost a full month since she had been in the city, but it uplifting to be back, like she was coming home.

For what must have been the tenth time in the last hour she readjusted the bag that was slung over her shoulder. It wasn't heavy exactly, but it kind of felt that way; and thinking about what was in there caused a nervous tension to coil-up in the pit of her stomach.

"Are you ever going to get over this?" Edna asked.

"Get over what?" Rose replied.

"This nervous thing you do whenever we come here."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Rose said.

"Yeah sure," Edna responded, and Rose could just picture her rolling her eyes.

"I think it's sweet," Lailah said, with a giggle.

Rose almost groaned, whilst she appreciated the sentiment, Lailah's supportive attitude could be almost as bad as Edna's sarcasm.

"Guys," she said, trying very hard not to sound like she was pleading. "Can we not do this today, please?"

"Tch fine. No need to get all upset over it," Edna answered.

Lailah giggled but said nothing, Rose decided to take that as a form of agreement and resumed walking.

The walk to the mansion seemed to pass by in mere moments, and before she knew it Rose found herself standing before the front door. Without letting herself think about it, she raised her hand and knocked it firmly against the polished wood. Seconds later it creaked open and Gladys stood on the other side.

"Miss Rose," she said, standing aside to allow her entry and dropping into a curtsey.

"Thank you," Rose replied. No matter how many times it happened, it would always be weird having the servants address her like that.

"If you would like to take a seat in the drawing room," Gladys continued. "Lady Alisha will be with you shortly. Unless you would like to freshen-up first?"

Rose thought about it for a moment, before nodding. She had covered some ground this morning to ensure that she would make it back with time to spare, she probably didn't smell too good right now.

"That would probably be a good idea, yes."

Almosr an hour later she was climbing out of a bath, squeaking clean and feeling fully refreshed. Outside the window the sky had turned a brilliant orange, as the sun set behind the horizon.

When she returned downstairs to the drawing room, the sight that met her eyes caused her to take pause. Alisha was already there, but she was not wearing her regular clothes; instead she was wearing an elegant gown that definitely flattered her figure. Rose couldn't keep her eyes from roaming over Alisha's body, and when she got to her face she found that her cheeks had turned a bright red.

She grinned at the tension evident in Alisha's stance as she tried to keep herself from squirming.

"Hey," Rose said.

"Hey," Alisha replied.

Rose stepped closer to her, so close that she could sense the heat radiating from her, so close she could almost feel her warm breath against her cheek.

"You look nice," Rose continued.

"Thank you," Alisha responded. "So do you."

Rose couldn't help but chuckled.

"Thanks," she said. "But I'm not all done-up like you."

Alisha gave her the sweetest little smile as she responded.

"No, but you always look beautiful."

Rose felt the heat flare to life in her cheeks, and her heart began to pound heavily in her chest. She laughed as she stepped back a little. Alisha responded by stepping forward, leaning in, and placing a small kiss on the corner of Rose's lips.

"Welcome home," she said.

"Yeah," she replied. "It's good to be back."

Suddenly remembering the bag she had with her, Rose removed it from over her shoulder and reached inside, producing a small wooden box.

"I got you something," she said, extending the box towards Alisha.

"Rose, you didn't have to," Alisha replied.

Rose shrugged.

"I know, but I wanted to," she said.

Alisha pried the box open, and within lying on a bed of velvet was a rose, made of steel.

"It's beautiful," Alisha said, removing it from the box and examining it closely.

"I'm glad you like it," Rose replied.

"You must have hired someone to make it," Alisha said. "So, I'm guessing there must be some sort of meaning to it?"

Rose took a deep breath before responding.

"Well, roses stand for love right," she answered. "But they eventually die, so I thought one made of steel would symbolise that my love for you was more enduring or something..."

Suddenly she could no longer meet Alisha's eyes and her gaze was fixed firmly on her own feet. That had sounded so much better in her head. When she heard Alisha giggle she groaned, she knew it, that must have sounded so corny.

Then there was a soft pressure on her cheek, and it gently lifted her head until she was once again looking at Alisha's smiling face.

"Rose, I love it, thank you."

Alisha kissed her again, it was a little harder this time, and lasted a second or two longer. Rose forgot her previous doubts as she focused on the feeling of those lips against hers. She was lost in the the moment enough that a light knock at the door caused her to jump, and take a step back.

"Enter!" Alisha called.

The door opened, and Gladys entered.

"Dinner is served, my lady," she said.

"Thank you, Gladys," Alisha replied. "Then shall we?" she asked, offering her arm to Rose.

Rose let loose a short bark of laughter, and then took the proffered arm.

Rose had eaten dinner at the mansion multiple times since she and Alisha had become lovers, but today the dining room was far different than how she had grown used to seeing it. The long table had been pushed to the side of the room, and it's place was a much smaller table. This table was draped in red cloth, and candles were placed atop it, along with several real red roses.

Despite herself, Rose felt her breath catch in her throat.

"Alisha, you didn't have to go to all this trouble."

Alisha simpy smiled.

"I wanted to," she replied. "It has been a year since we became … lovers. I wished to mark the occasion properly."

Rose ran a hand through her hair as she fought to hide her embarrassment.

"Well can't argue with that, I guess."

Still smiling, Alisha led Rose over to the table and pulled out one of the chairs for her. With a sigh mock annoyance, Rose sat down, and Alisha took the seat opposite her. Within seconds the servants had placed two glasses of champagne on the table.

"So, how was your journey?" Alisha asked.

"It was actually kinda nice," Rose replied. "The roads are almost completely safe at the moment."

"That's good to hear."

"And you?"

"Oh, the same as usual," Alisha answered. "More meetings, more training, more politics. I missed you."

"Oh, well, I missed you too," Rose replied, raising her glass to her lips.

"My bed felt too large without you."

Rose almost choked on her champagne, and shot an incredulous look at Alisha. The princess however was busying herself with her own drink, and was very pointedly not looking at Rose.

Well, Rose thought. Two can play at that game.

"Yeah," she began. I have to admit that sleeping at an inn just isn't as nice. And I missed waking-up next to the most beautiful woman in Hyland."

She could see the redness creeping into Alisha's cheeks and grinned. Despite them being together for a year she was still so easy to fluster, but then, Alisha was a very earnest person.

"You flatter me," the princess mumbled.

"Nope," Rose replied, shaking her head. "You really are that beautiful, and I'll keep saying it until you believe me. And I'll probably keep saying it after that."

"Really? Even when I grow old and wrinkly?"

"Even then."

"Well, I suppose they do say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

"Then you can trust my eye," Rose said. "I am the head of a group of merchants, I know real beauty when I see it."

The next couple of hours passed in much the same manner, with the two of them exchanging small-talk and flirtatious remarks as they ate their food. Until at last the servants stopped bringing more food, and Rose leaned back in her chair feeling more content than she had in a very long time.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," Alisha said.

"Good food and good company, what's not to like?" Rose responded.

Alisha smiled.

"The food was good," Alisha replied. "But the company was better."

Rose felt herself smirk.

"You know," she said. "You're pretty good with this whole flirting thing when you put your mind to it. Should I be worried?"

To her amusement Alisha's face flared red again, and she turned her head to side.

"There's no need to worry," Alisha said. "I only feel this way when I am around you."

Now Rose felt the embarrassment rising inside her, and she reached back to scratch at the back of her head. It was weird how even after a whole year, Alisha could still influence her emotions so easily.

"So," she said. "Did you have anything else planned for this evening?"

Suddenly that nervous tenseness was back in Alisha frame, just as it had been when Rose had first seen her earlier on. Her hand slipped under the table, and when it came out it was holding a small box.

"There is just one thing," Alisha answered. "You brought me a gift earlier, and I did the same."

Almost hesitantly she handed the box over to her. Rose took it eagerly, and as she began to pry it open she could feel her skin tingle. Inside was a small, silver key. It took Rose a second to realise what it meant, and when she did her eyes flicked back up and locked with Alisha's.

"Wait, is this...?"

"It's mostly symbolic," Alisha replied. "I mean there's always someone here anyway, and we would always let you in so - "

Rose leaned across the table and placed her hand atop Alisha's, silencing her.

"Thank you," she said.

"You're welcome," Alisha replied.

Rose picked the key up and turned it over on her hands, examining it.

"Well, I suppose it's time we headed to bed," Alisha said suddenly.

Rose looked at her, and found that her face was a bright shade of red. Curious.

"Aw," she responded. "But the night's still young."

If it were possible Alisha's face seemed to become even brighter, and she seemed to struggle to maintain eye-contact.

"I … I was not intending to let you sleep," she answered.

For just a moment Rose was caught off guard, but she recovered quickly and chuckled.

"Oh my," she said, covering her mouth to feign being scandalised. "Hyland's fair princess is in fact in fact a ravenous beast. Okay, but you have to carry me upstairs."

Alisha rose an eyebrow.

"What?" Rose said. "Not only are you gonna have your way with me, but you're gonna make me walk to the bed chamber too? Does a knight's chivalry end once she has a lady in bed?"

Alisha rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. She walked over to where Rose was seated and lifted her into her arms, holding her bridal-style.

"Is this better, my lady?" she asked, her voice was solemn but her eyes were sparkling.

"Much," Rose replied, leaning up to place a kiss on Alisha's cheek.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Here it is, the last chapter. Thank you all for reading to the end, and I hope you enjoyed yourselves.

Also, a big thank you to everyone who left a review on this story.


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